Scotland v Pakistan

Cricket Scotland today announced two exciting fixtures against Pakistan in 2013, to be held at the Citylets Grange, Edinburgh.

The two One Day International fixtures will take place on Friday 17th and Sunday 19th of May.

Scotland have come up against Pakistan three times previously – the last encounter was six years ago at the ICC 2007 T20 World Cup. The two countries also met in August 2012 during the ICC U19 World Cup in Australia.

Pakistan were Scotland’s first opponents following the elevation to ODI status in 2005. During that encounter in June 2006, prolific Scottish batsmen, Neil McCallum and Ryan Watson, scored 68 and 80 respectively during a game where the Scots posted a total score of 203. However, that day it wasn’t to prove enough, and after being in some trouble at 93 for 5, Mohammad Yousuf scored a match-winning 83 to give the Pakistan team victory.

Scotland captain, Gordon Drummond said, “These fixtures are a fantastic boost for Scottish cricket. We have the chance to qualify for two global ICC events in 2013, and now we find we also have the opportunity to play two top test nations with Australia also visiting for an ODI in September. These matches are particularly important for the development of the current squad.

We are all really looking to welcoming the Pakistan team to Scotland once again, and these fixtures will undoubtedly build on the already strong ties between the Pakistani/Scots community.

It’s a fantastic platform for us to show what we are capable of, as we did with victory against Bangladesh last year- these are the sort of matches that every Scottish squad member will want to be involved in.”

Cricket Scotland Chief Executive Roddy Smith added, ‘’We are delighted to have secured these two ODIs against Pakistan. Following the ICC’s additional investment in Cricket Scotland through their TAPP scheme, we committed to secure further matches against the Full Members.

These games are vital to continue our progress and measure ourselves against the best in the world, and are integral to the on field improvements desired for by the ICC. We are very grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their support in making these games happen.’’

The announcement gives Scottish cricket fans yet another reason to get excited about 2013, which is already looking like one of the busiest seasons to date for the Scottish national team.